


Singularity

by guineabees



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Abusive Bro, Alternate Universe - Human/Troll Society (Homestuck), Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, M/M, Multi, X-men Inspired
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-13
Updated: 2017-01-13
Packaged: 2018-09-08 04:38:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8830702
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/guineabees/pseuds/guineabees
Summary: /sɪŋɡjʊlarɪti/[noun] - The state, fact, quality, or condition of being singular./A peculiarity or odd trait.An AU in which some people and trolls have evolved to the point of having supernatural abilities and the rest of the world is intent on trying to get rid of them.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: *has two multi-chapter works in progress plus uni coursework to complete*  
> Me: fuck it let's add another to the mix.
> 
> This is the first time I've written anything Homestuck so I hope it's ok. I was gonna hold off on posting this fic a little longer, but I'm really invested in it at the moment to the point that I have two lists full of information and plans for it so I got a bit fed up of waiting to upload. 
> 
> I made a list of powers and reasonings behind them [here](https://docs.google.com/document/d/12u912pd-zS235WXSXKyzHk2RSzEzBYntdzovc7isOYM/edit?usp=sharing) if you want to see it.

From the moment Dave had first shown signs of being a mutant, Bro’s attitude towards him had changed drastically.

He remembers his guardian’s expression briefly morphing into one of shock and disgust when his eleven year old self came running into the living room, excited to show him the cool powers he’d discovered. He had dropped one of the more expensive cameras he’d found around the apartment, only to pause its swift journey to the ground and rewind it’s flight until it was back in his grasp. His expectant smile had fallen, however, when he wasn’t met with the impressed expression he was expecting. 

“I can make time do all of this weird shit, isn’t that cool?” he’d prompted, hoping that maybe he’d accidentally frozen more than just the falling object because he was still new at this or maybe that Bro was just a bit surprised and needed a minute to process. Instead of receiving a reply though, he’d watched Bro’s mouth set in a thin line before he silently got up and walked away, leaving Dave in a state of confusion. 

When Dave finally heard from Bro again, it was in the form of a note being slid under his door in the early hours of the morning that said he wouldn’t be going to school anymore and to meet him on the roof tomorrow for “training”. That was more than a little weird, but he didn’t challenge Bro because, in all honesty, he found him pretty intimidating.

When he’d finally summoned the courage to reluctantly drag himself to the roof, Bro was waiting for him with two swords and an oddly serious look on his face. “You’ve studied history at school right?” he questioned suddenly and Dave nodded in response, too nervous about where this might be going to form a spoken reply. “Then you know what happened back when the aliens first came here.”

Dave nodded again, but Bro seemed unsatisfied this time as if he wanted more than just a confirmation. “The humans tried to wipe them all out,” he added reluctantly, not wanting to know how this applied to his situation.

Bro dropped the swords and Dave flinched involuntarily, a pit forming in his stomach at the sound of the metal clanging against the concrete surface they were stood on. Bro backed up until the weapons were exactly halfway between them, not once turning his back on Dave. With every second that passed, Dave grew more wary about his guardian’s intentions, he remembered what happened the last time the man got serious like this, when he had accidentally referred to him as his father. 

Dave hadn’t thought anything of it because technically he was the closest thing to a dad that he had. He knew he made a mistake as soon as Bro got silent. He wasn’t Bro’s child, he had been handed over to him when his mother - Bro’s older sister- died. He had learned the hard way, after a few bruises and no meals for a week, that Bro didn’t like being reminded of it. If it had ended that painfully the last time he fucked up, he didn’t even want to think about what would happen to him this time around.

He inhaled a harsh breath when his eyes caught the glint of sunlight reflecting off the sharp metal of the swords. A brief, desperate glance was spared towards the fire escape door as Dave clenched and unclenched his fists, weighing up his options. Dave knew he couldn’t make a run for it now though, Bro was frighteningly quick when he needed to be and something told him that he would have a much higher chance of surviving the encounter if he stayed and endured it.

“The reason why you can ‘make time do shit’ is because you have a mutation. Some humans and aliens can do things that others can’t and it’s because they’re mutants,” Bro explained. “To the people who can’t do these things, you are just as bad and threatening as those first aliens that came here.”

Dave gulped as he began to to catch on. He wasn’t the only one who could do things, there were others too. That should have been a comforting thought for him, but as he slowly processed what his bro said, he noticed that it only left a bitter taste in his mouth. Humans were trying to kill off all people and trolls who had powers like him. It wasn’t safe for him anywhere now.

Dave couldn’t believe he’d had no idea that any of this was going on for most of his childhood. When he thought about it though, it kind of made sense that he’d missed this huge part of himself considering that Bro had kept him away from anything involving crowds of people. Sure, he’d been going to school, but he barely spoke to anyone while he was there and he barely stepped foot in the world outside of school and his apartment because Bro always had a taxi pick him up and drop him off.

He did, however, briefly remember an incident the year before where one of his teachers had been dragged out of the school, yelling about how they weren’t hurting anyone, by a group of official looking people in suits. They had been one of the few teachers Dave actually liked and he didn’t know wether to be devastated or terrified when he heard they’d been shoved into the back of a van never to be seen again. 

Had they been a mutant like him? Was he going to be taken away one day too?

His heart felt like it was about to come out through his mouth and his head suddenly felt light in a way that left him disoriented. He stood his ground the best he could, struggling to hold back his emotions the way Bro had told him to the last time he had cried in front of him. 

“If anyone finds out what you are they won’t hesitate to kill you,” Bro stated too casually. “How do you think your parents died?”

Dave gasped, he could feel his mouth trembling and tears stinging at his eyes, but a sharp glare from Bro had him taking a deep, grounding breath and pushing these feelings back.

“What should I do then?” he asked and fought the urge to step back when his guardian smirked like he’d just unsuspectingly wandered right into the man’s trap. “I don’t wanna die, Bro,” he admitted shakily.

He watched in confusion as the man failed to reply and instead removed his glasses, placing them in his pocket and putting on what looked like a pair of tinted ski goggles. 

“You’re lucky I have a mutation of my own and I’m cool enough to let you stick around, most people would have handed you over to the authorities for extermination by now. You should be grateful, I even provided you with shades like mine so you could hide your eye colour, which is a dead giveaway by the way. I probably should have told you that earlier, but I figured that if you couldn’t make it long enough for your abilities to start showing, you wouldn’t be worth my efforts anyway.” 

Dave bit back the resentment he felt upon hearing that admission. He could have died from something as simple as taking his shades off and his guardian had failed to tell him, using it for some kind of sick test. He was lucky he had listened to his instincts and the voice in his head that had always made him feel like for some reason showing his eyes wouldn’t be safe.

“I’ve dealt with what happens when people figure it out and I’m willing to train you…” Bro continued, ignoring Dave’s conflict, “...as long as you’re ready to stop being so pathetic and start fighting back.” 

Dave steeled his nerves, deciding that he’d do what he had to do from now on as long as it meant surviving. “I’m ready,” he promised, nodding sharply.

That unsettling smirk weaved it’s way onto Bro’s features again briefly before morphing back into a serious expression. “We start from here,” Bro instructed. “The rules are simple enough. We leave this roof once you’ve landed a hit on me. If you don’t manage to do that in the first few minutes we will continue until either you manage to hit me or I get bored. In that case you will have lost and will have to take care of your own injuries and find your own dinner. I’m not going to baby you anymore because nobody out there is going to stop to help you if you get in trouble. No other mutants are going to stop and help you if it means exposing themselves too. This is survival and endurance training, you either fight or you get hurt. Understand?”

Dave nodded, clenching his fists and changing his stance slightly, readying himself to fight. Bro got into the position professional runners assume before a race and Dave was momentarily bewildered having expected to see something more like the expert fighting stance he saw when he occasionally caught his guardian practicing with the swords that were currently lying between them.

“Go!” Bro commanded, catching Dave off guard as he disappeared in a blur.

He was completely blindsided as a sharp pain seared through his left arm and he only briefly registered that one of the swords was now missing before he looked down and gasped at the rip in his shirt and the thin, crimson line that stretched across the exposed skin there. The cut only just scratched the surface, but it still stung enough for Dave to grit his teeth and suck in a deep breath. A rush of air unbalanced him, causing him to stumble a little and suddenly Bro was in front of him again.

“Come on!” Bro growled. “You’re gonna have to think faster than that if you want to stand any chance of landing a strike on me. Pick up your sword,” he spat and Dave did as he was told, the metal shaking in his grasp as he tried to ignore the stinging in his arm.

“Ok now actually fucking try this time,” Bro instructed. Then he was suddenly gone again and Dave was left looking for any sign of movement in a state of panic, his sword lowered to his side in the confusion.

He had no idea where the next attack would come from and he failed to stop himself from crashing to the ground with a shout when something hit him full force in the back. He counted his blessings when he slowly registered what had happened and what would have happened had he still been holding the sword in front of him. Shakily, he clambered to his feet again, trying to forget about the taste of blood in his mouth and the painful throbbing in his bottom lip. 

His guardian let out a frustrated sigh. “Ok here’s the deal,” Bro stated, “since this is your first lesson, I’ll go slower, but I won’t be taking it easy on you. Deal?”

“Deal,” Dave croaked out.

“Ok get ready again,” Bro instructed and once Dave had managed to drag his limbs into a fighting stance, he took of once again.

Dave was awestruck when he could finally see what was actually happening. Bro was moving frighteningly fast, to the point that all that could be seen of him was a blur of colour. Dave collected himself and swung as hard as he could, wincing a little at the painful twinge he felt in his arm, but he efforts were in vain as he failed to even come close to touching the man. Bro didn’t stop the next few times he managed to cut Dave and the boy soon realised he would have to come up with another plan of attack.

He followed the blur with his eyes and struggled to fight back a wave of nausea at the dizzy feeling that came with his Bro’s rapid changes in direction. When Dave felt like he’d finally got a stable grasp of his guardian’s movements he raised his right palm out in front of him like he had been doing for the past month when he was getting used to and messing around with his abilities. He focused all of his energy into slowing down and pausing the movement around him, smiling a little with the thought that he might have figured this thing out.

Only a few seconds later he found himself frowning when nothing happened. He barely had the chance to mumble “What the fuck?” before he was crying out in pain and clutching his hand to his chest as it bled over his shirt.

“Nice try little dude,” Bro’s voice taunted, “but you’ve barely even started using those abilities of yours and I’ve had years to perfect mine. So if you think they’re going to work on me any time soon you’re wrong. I’m too quick for that,” he boasted.

“Shit,” Dave hissed. This cut hurt slightly more than the others and he wasn’t sure if it was that or the frustration of his powers failing to work, but he felt a stray tear escape under his shades.

“What have I told you about crying?” Bro’s voice asked. 

“I-it’s a sign of weakness,” Dave replied.

“Exactly. And when you’re surrounded by people who want to kill you, any sign of weakness is just going to get you killed quicker,” Bro informed. “From now on, everytime you cry I’m going to make the next hit twice as painful.”

That first training session had eventually ended with Dave collapsing under all the pain and exhaustion. Bro had patted his shoulder heavily and chuckled at Dave’s sharp intake of breath when it aggravated a particularly nasty cut Bro left there. He’d congratulated him for staying on his feet longer than he thought he would and retreated back into the building, leaving Dave to pick himself up.

It had been five years since then and not had changed except for Dave’s ability to hide what he was feeling. Dave forced himself to keep a straight face when fighting and fought to hold back his tears when he cleaned his wounds just in case Bro overheard him and decided to be harder on him the next time they trained. He held back his breakdowns until he was within the safety of his room and there was no chance of anyone seeing him show any forms of weakness.

Some small part of Dave knew that his guardian hated him. He could tell in the way some of his Bro’s cuts came just a little too close to causing serious harm and the way he smirked when Dave tried and failed to land a counterattack and when he inevitably collapsed at the end of their training sessions. What could he do though when the alternative was being hunted down and killed? He was actually kind of lucky that Bro hadn’t thrown him out on the streets and let that be that and he wasn’t about to push his luck by refusing to take part in Bro’s ‘training sessions’. 

So what if he was terrified by the fact that not even his powers could protect him from the man? So what if he had nightmares about dying alone on the roof of their apartment building? So what if he was constantly on edge and prepared for an attack? This was all supposed to make him stronger, right? If he was still losing it just meant he wasn’t working hard enough, right? At least that’s what he told himself.

He had tried to convince himself over the years that Bro just wanted to make him stronger and improve his fighting skills so that no outsiders would ever be able to hurt him. He had tried to convince himself that the only reason Bro was so ruthless when they were fighting was because he wanted it to be realistic. No one was going to hold their punches in the real world, so why would Bro do that when he was training him? It made perfect sense to him… kind of.

There was still that voice in the back of his head that argued that surely Bro should have given him at least some basic survival techniques or actually taught him how to improve. He tried his best to ignore those doubts though, reasoning that Bro was a strange guy who worked in mysterious ways and that he probably thought it would be better for Dave to figure it out on his own.

So now that he was eighteen and still trying to convince himself that his guardian was looking out for him in his own way, he was more than a little unprepared for the way Bro reacted when he finally managed to slow him down using his abilities. Bro’s pace had slowed to an almost complete stop and Dave had smiled triumphantly as he tapped the man’s shoulder with his sword. Letting him go, he had looked up at the man expectantly, hoping to finally get some kind of praise for his efforts.

What he didn’t expect was to be alone and locked out on the roof, lying on the floor and bleeding, with the shattered remnants of his shades strewn across the floor beside him about three minutes and forty eight seconds later. 

He tried to get up several times, but his limbs refused to work with him, wobbling under his weight before sending him crashing to the ground again. To say he was panicking would be the understatement of the millennium. He wasn’t sure if his inability to breathe was caused by the horrific amount of blood he could see or the lightheadedness that was slowly creeping in on him.

He fought the urge to throw up as a sharp pain throbbed in his side and a metallic scent invaded his senses. He tried to bite back his tears, knowing it would only make things worse if Bro came back and saw him showing any signs of weakness. The pain was too much for him though and he eventually caved, letting out a loud, rattling sob as the tears flowed freely from under his shades.

For the first time in fuck knows how long Dave lost track of time. He struggled to figure out how long he’d been out there and part of him wondered how he wasn’t quite dead yet because it had felt like hours before he finally stopped crying. He felt drained, both physically and emotionally and all he wanted was to close his eyes and sleep. Deep down he knew that wasn’t safe, but at this point he couldn’t find it in him to care.

Dave was tired.

He was tired of being scared. He was tired of fighting. He was tired of having to hide food in case Bro decided not to buy him any as a punishment. He was tired of having to sneak around and hide himself in corners in his own home in hopes of avoiding an attack. He was tired of fearing for his life.

He let out a weak chuckle as he realised how typical it was that he’d spent all this time avoiding the outside world in fear of being killed and now here he was, dying because he refused to risk leaving to try and find somewhere safer. A weird kind of calm washed over him as a darkness crept into the edges of his vision and his breathing slowed. It was also typical that the only form of rest he’d ever get was when he was barely alive.

Only it seemed not even life itself was gonna give him a break this time as he was snapped back into consciousness when a strange boy literally popped into his vision, floating above him awkwardly.

As if the situation wasn’t already bad enough, it seemed he was beginning to hallucinate now too.

The boy had black hair that stuck out in odd places and black rimmed, square glasses framed his face. His outfit of choice wasn’t any better, a t-shirt with what looked like a bright green blob on it and three quarter length trousers. If all that wasn’t enough on the dorkiness scale, it seemed that the universe had been kind or cruel enough to supply him with an overbite to complete the aesthetic. 

Somehow it all oddly suited him though and Dave supposed that had something to do with the fact that he wasn’t entirely unattractive. Not in a gay way though, in a way where Dave was comfortable enough with his straightness to be able to admit when a dude looked good. This wasn't the time to be thinking about his sexuality anyway, it was the time to be thinking about his mortality. He still managed to notice that this guy’s eyes were the most vibrant shade of blue he’d ever fucking seen though. ‘Mutant’ was the first thought that came to Dave’s mind and he was mentally kicking himself for not coming to that conclusion the second he noticed that the guy was flying.

It was funny how everything about this boy screamed uncool and weird and yet Dave was pretty sure he trusted him more than he trusted the person he’d shared an apartment with his entire life. Although that might have been his detached and delirious state of mind talking.

“Oh shit!” the boy gasped. “Oh my god I’m late! I’m so sorry! Are you still alive? Oh god please don’t be dead.”

Dave didn’t have the strength to answer him other than letting out an unintelligible noise. Relief still flooded the other boys features upon hearing it though. He pressed his hand to his chest, exhaling loudly and letting out a small laugh. 

“Thank god, you scared me for a second there! I would have been in so much shit if I’d brought you back dead.”

Dave didn’t have a second to dwell on the ‘brought you back’ part of that sentence as the boy suddenly swooped down into way too close for comfort territory. “How many fingers am I holding up?” the stranger asked, waving three fingers in his face. All Dave could do was grit his teeth and groan in response. The boy awkwardly ran a hand through his hair. “You’re right, stupid question. I should probably just stop wasting time and get you back to the others now. Sorry, about that,” he shrugged and slid his hands under Dave causing a wave of agony to burn through him. 

He maybe kind of screamed involuntarily at the sudden blast of pain and the boy almost dropped him. “Oops, sorry about that too,” the boy chuckled nervously as he shifted him into a bridal carry position, trying his best not to jolt him too much. Had he not been rapidly approaching unconsciousness again, Dave might have made some kind of dry remark about poor transport services, but as it was he could feel himself starting to go limp in the other boy’s grip and his vision was filling with dark spots again.

He just about had time to lament the inevitable fatality of the other boy’s white shirt as he caught a spot of red seeping into it out of the corner of his eye and then the world faded into darkness around him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly I am way too nervous about posting this.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this has taken so long for me to update. University assignments and depression, what can you do?
> 
> Thank you so much for all of the wonderful comments, they were amazing! I'll try and be quicker with the next chapter.

The first thing Dave saw when he woke up was white. 

His eyes were temporarily blinded the harsh lights and as he waited for them to adjust he briefly wondered if he had actually died and it turned out the Christians were actually right about that heaven place. He realised soon enough though, when a dull ache set into his muscles, that he wasn’t quite done yet even if he did feel like he’d been hit by several trucks and a coach full of overly enthusiastic holidaymakers. He groaned, reaching out for his shades and tensed when his hand made contact with a stranger’s lap instead.

A brief wave of panic hit him as he wondered what he could have possibly done wrong for Bro to be in his room instead of spying on him from outside the door as usual. He sat bolt upright, ready to jump out of bed and defend himself against a possible attack, only to let out a yelp when the movement caused immediate pain.

“Whoa, whoa, hey!” An unfamiliar voice shouted as he felt a hand touch his shoulder lightly. “It’s ok, you’re ok,” the voice assured him.

He steadied his breathing and took a look around the room, relaxing a little when he received confirmation that this definitely wasn’t his apartment and the person he accidentally felt up definitely wasn’t his guardian. Although, his body still held onto a shred of anxiety like a security blanket in case this new, unfamiliar place somehow turned out worse and he had to make a quick fight or flight decision. A cautious glance behind him revealed that the guy who he’d accidentally touched had been the same person who picked him up on the roof.

Memories came flooding back as Dave began to process who the boy was. He suddenly remembered Bro’s surprised face melting into one of anger, the intense pain that followed and glancing over at what was left of his shades as he slowly bled out on the roof of his apartment building. The last thing he could remember was this boy appearing out of nowhere, saying something about being late and picking him up bridal style like it was some kind of disney movie, but with a lot less ball gowns, a lot more blood and a way less competent fairy Godmother. Dave had been almost certain that he was just a hallucination at the time, but there the guy was, his phone forgotten in his lap and a welcoming smile on his face.

“You’re real?” Dave questioned, instantly regretting it when his throat burned like he’d tried to down a glass of nails.

“Yeah! At least I was the last time I checked,” the boy chuckled. “You sound awful! Can I get you something to drink?”

Dave was half tempted to ask for apple juice, having just gone through a near death experience and all he thought he deserved it. He decided against it though when he realised that it would probably end up hurting his throat more and then his favourite drink would be ruined because he wouldn’t be able to drink it again without remembering that time he had been minutes away from death. “Just water,” he forced out, wincing slightly as he spoke.

“Ok! I’ll be right back!” he announced, before disappearing with a quiet popping sound, leaving Dave to stare at the empty seat in bewilderment. 

As Dave sat in silence he took the opportunity to study his surroundings and remember the events leading up to him being there. He assumed he was in some kind of hospital ward because he’d seen them before in movies and shows he’d watched on his laptop and remembered them looking something like this. Bro had never actually taken him to any on the occasions when he probably needed one though, so he’d never experienced what they were like first hand. Part of him reasoned that medical professionals would have picked up on his mutation straight away and then he’d be in deep shit, but recent events led him to believe that was more of a justification than Bro’s actual reasoning behind it.

He went to inspect his injuries and noted with a slight sense of discomfort that someone must have changed his shirt while he was out. The one he currently wore was distinctly lacking in rips and blood stains. Brushing that thought along with the multiple questions about how they even managed to get his other shirt aside, he slowly peeled it upwards to reveal his torso. 

His eyebrows shot up and his eyes widened almost comically when he saw nothing but bare skin where there should most definitely at least be bruising. He had to rub his eyes and blink a couple of times just to double check that he was seeing correctly. He had looked like human roadkill when Bro was finally finished with him and he was certain he had only been unconscious for about a day, but now there were no signs of his previous injuries anywhere in sight.

“What the actual fuck?” he gasped, wincing and internally kicking himself for forgetting about his throat. He dropped his shirt again as he searched his brain, trying to figure out if there was anything he’d forgotten or missed between being on the roof and passing out.

Before he could think too much into that though, the boy from earlier reappeared in his seat, a glass of water in his outstretched hand. Dave felt a temporary spike of panic at how suddenly he appeared, but managed to keep himself collected and cautiously accept the drink. 

The boy didn’t wait long before he started talking. Dave sipped at the water as he listened, feeling as if he had been walking the desert without a single drop to drink for the past five years, but not wanting to drink too quick in case he fucked up his throat even more. 

“So that was a close one, huh? If I’d been a minute later we would have both been screwed,” John said with a short chuckle.

“I honestly thought I was a goner,” Dave replied tentatively, relaxing a little when he noticed that while his throat still ached, talking didn’t hurt quite as much.

“You were a mess by the time I got you back here,” John admitted. “We both were. We were both covered in blood and I was having a panic attack because I thought I’d messed up badly enough to let someone get killed on my first ever solo mission.”

Dave rose an eyebrow at that last part, but decided that he had bigger questions than that. “Yeah about the whole covered in blood thing,” he began, “I’m not an expert in the field of medicine or biology, although I do have a sick collection of dead animals which could count as biological specimens I guess - I mostly just collect them because they’re cool as fuck - but the point is I know the bare minimum about how the human body works. So yeah correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m pretty damn sure it takes more than however long I was out to recover from the royal asskicking I received. So how the fuck did that happen? Unless I’ve somehow managed to tear a hole in the fabric of time and space and ended up in an alternate universe where everything is the same except you get a ‘wasted’ screen and then wake up in hospital with all of your injuries reset like it’s Grand Theft Auto.”

“Wow, that was… a lot,” John commented.

“Get used to it, I’m like a human running commentary,” Dave shrugged.

“That won’t be difficult, we already have someone here who can talk forever, he’s a little louder than you though,” John replied. “But to answer your question, that was Jane’s doing. She’s my cousin and she can heal people so she’s kind of like a part time nurse here. You’re lucky you were out cold when she was fixing your arm by the way. I’ve broken my leg before and take it from me, having a broken bone rapid healed is not a pleasant experience." He winced a little at the memory of it. "Anyway, your wounds are all healed and good as new, but you'll probably still be in pain for a couple of days so it's best for you to stay here and not move too much for now.”

Dave nodded as he took in that information, touching his formerly broken arm subconsciously. “Ok and where is here exactly?” he asked.

“Oh my god. I can’t believe how bad I am at this!” John laughed, pressing a hand to his forehead. “You must be really confused right now just sat in a hospital ward being told about how me and another mutant you haven’t even met yet just sort of kidnapped you and used their powers on you.”

“It’s cool man, I mean don’t beat yourself up about it,” Dave replied. “I’m not complaining. If you hadn’t already noticed I was in what was essentially the Rapunzel of hairy situations back there so I'm not too bothered about the kidnapping part. Besides not everyone can be an incredibly slick conversationalist like me.”

“...Right,” John deadpanned. “Ok where do I start? I guess if I had to describe this place, I’d say it was like a giant house slash school for mutants. Yeah. Like it’s basically a huge building in the middle of nowhere that was abandoned, but the founders of this place fixed it up and now we go around finding people with powers and giving them lessons on how to control their mutations and a safe place to live if they want it. There are quite a lot of mutants living here, but you probably won’t bump into a lot of them because we have different age groups. You’ll probably get put in the same group as me if you stay.”

Before Dave could reply, John realised how presumptuous he sounded and quickly backtracked. “You don’t have to stay though, you can leave anytime you want,” he quickly added. “l know a lot of people who have left… in some way or another.”

There was something hesitant about his tone when he got to that last part and Dave almost wanted to ask about it, but he was pretty sure it was a sore subject and he’d rather not try and navigate through a heavy conversation with someone he just met. He didn’t get a chance to dwell on it anyway when John started talking again.

“Anyway, I’ve lived here my whole life with Jane and her dad. I know this place like the back of my hand, which is good because trying to teleport somewhere I’ve never seen before sucks so much and because it means I can give newcomers like you the full guided tour!”

“You’ve lived with your cousin and uncle your whole life?” Dave questioned.

John nodded. “Yeah, my mom was a mutant and my dad wasn't and that’s super illegal. They were on the run, but they sent me here as soon as they realised I took after my mom and this place has been my home ever since,” he explained. “I’m not entirely sure what happened to them, but my uncle doesn’t like to talk about it so I assume it wasn’t anything good.”

“Oh,” Dave replied. “That sucks man, I’m sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it. I was too young to know what was going on back then and now I have an awesome new home and family here, so I’m fine,” John assured him, although his reassuring smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. 

“You’re really set on selling this place to me aren’t you?” Dave questioned.

“Just please at least think about it,” John responded. “We haven’t had anyone new around here in aaaaaaaages and I think that’s what everyone needs at the moment! Plus there’s the fact that you have f-” he abruptly paused that sentence, his eyes widening as if he’d said too much. “Never mind. Forget that last part, it didn’t happen.”

Dave’s interest was officially peaked though. “Wait what? What do I have?”

“It’s nothing. I’m not supposed to say anything about it yet. Just ignore it for now,” John assured him.

“Well now I definitely wanna know what it is,” Dave said, leaning forward slightly. “Come on, you can’t just release a sample track and then deny me the full album like that. That’s just not how things work in this industry. I mean sure it works for the artists who are already big on the scene like Beyonce, but you’re like a rookie on the scene and I’m an impatient new listener so you can’t get away with the risky promotional tactics just yet. What were you gonna say?”

“Dave seriously, just ignore what I said,” John insisted. “You’ll find out soon, but not right now ok? It’s not my job to tell you.”

“Who’s is it then?” Dave questioned. “Who is this mysterious messenger that I’m going to have to make a mental note to not shoot.”

“You’ll meet him soon enough, don’t worry about it for now,” John assured him. “Just please at least say you’ll think about staying here.”

“Dude calm down, I already decided I’m staying,” Dave said, only realising the truth in the statement as he said it.

“Wha- really?” 

“Yeah, I mean it’s not like I have anywhere better to go so I may as well at least stay for this tour you promised. Although I expect the full, access all areas, VIP tour now since you claim to be an expert on this place,” he smirked. “You kind of owe me a tour now anyway because I’m such a patient patient.” 

“Yes!” John shouted, hovering of his seat a little as he fist pumped. Dave briefly wondered if he was even aware he was doing it and concluded that it was cute either way. He tried not to mentally berate himself for associating the word ‘cute’ with a boy, but it was difficult when he knew that Bro would have punished him for that kind of thing. Thank God Bro’s ability hadn’t been mind reading or Dave would have had a lot harder time surviving his teenage years than he already had. He decided to abandon that train of thought before it could leave the station when John continued speaking. “I’ll give you the full tour first thing tomorrow! You won’t regret this I promise!”

“Just one thing,” Dave said.

“What is it?” 

“Is there any way I could get a new pair of shades before this grand tour?” he asked. “My eyes are pretty damn hypnotising and people will get lost in them forever if they’re exposed to them so it’s for the best really. So far you’ve been immune, but we better not risk it.”

“What?” John questioned. “I was told you had time manipulation powers.”

“I do,” Dave confirmed. “Time just does exactly what I want it to, it’s fucking awesome. The hypnotising thing was like a figure of speech because no one can resist the charm of my unique crimson pupils. I think it would be better for everyone if I concealed them behind some shades. The more ironically bad, the better.”

“Oh right,” John replied, still looking a little perplexed. “But why though? We’re all mutants here, Dave. I have a friend whose eyes are purple and another whose eyes are bright pink. You don’t have anyone you need to hide your eyes from here.”

Dave exhaled deeply, ignoring the ache in his ribs as he did so. He didn’t like showing vulnerability to anyone, let alone a person he’d only had one conversation with, but John had opened up about his past so Dave figured he could confess this one thing if it meant getting a new pair of sunglasses. “I don’t feel comfortable without them,” he admitted.

“Oh… ok then. I know someone else who feels that way so I probably shouldn’t have been so surprised,” he suddenly brightened up again, leaping out of his chair. “I know just the pair! I’ll be right back!” he proclaimed, before vanishing again.

“That shit’s gonna take some getting used to,” Dave mumbled, staring at the empty spot where the boy once was.

Dave still wasn’t too sure about this place. Sure, it was good that there was a healer around and if the beds were anywhere near as comfortable as the were in this first aid ward, he might actually be able to get a decent amount of sleep. At least he kind of knew he was safe for now and wouldn’t be out on the streets left to his own devices after spending so long in hiding.

He wasn’t sure how he felt about the prospect of being around so many other mutants though. John seemed nice enough, but Dave knew he was withholding information from him, so he couldn’t completely trust him just yet. Plus, John was just one mutant, Dave knew first hand how dangerous someone with abilities could be and he knew that he couldn’t rely on his powers to be one hundred percent effective against an attack too. Then there was the burning question of why a place that John claimed to be some kind of boarding school would need such a high tech hospital ward with so many beds.

He was going to stay because it was better than any of the alternatives. If he went back to Bro, he’d probably be dead within a week and if he tried to find somewhere else, he’d probably be dead even faster. Still, he got this creeping feeling that something bad had happened here and he knew he wouldn’t feel fully settled until he found out what it was.

Once again, Dave’s thoughts were interrupted by John’s sudden reappearance. Dave wasn’t any better prepared for it this time. He flinched and his hands automatically took on a pre- fight pose, his fists clenched and raised to protect his face and deliver a strike if needed. It took him a second or two to remember that his current company was a teleporter and calm down.

“You’ve gotta stop doing that to me,” Dave murmured, slowly relaxing and lowering his arms.

“You’ll never guess where I’ve just been!” John exclaimed, excitement practically pouring out of him as he handed Dave a pair of obnoxious round shades that he immediately decided were perfect.

“Where did you go? Jupiter?” he asked, playing along because he didn’t want to ruin the other boy’s fun. “Did you steal a pair of alien space shades? Because I have to say as much as I can appreciate a cool pair of sunglasses, I wouldn’t want to start an intergalactic war over stolen eyewear.”

John ignored him, beaming mischievously as he replied. “Three words: Ben. Stiller’s. Wardrobe.”

Ok now Dave was officially aboard the excitement train; next destination hype city.

“No fucking way!” he said almost forgetting that he probably shouldn’t move too fast as he leaned in closer to the other boy, expectantly waiting for an explanation. “How?”

“No idea! I was trying to get you a pair of goofy, novelty, heart-shaped ones as a joke, but I just started teleporting and then bam! Ben Stiller’s wardrobe.”

“How do you even know it was his wardrobe?” Dave questioned.

John shrugged. “Who else would have a wardrobe full of Zoolander memorabilia?” 

“Fair enough,” Dave replied. He lifted the shades up in front of him to get a good look at them. “So these shades belonged to Ben Stiller? Like Ben Stiller legitimately wore these on his face at some point?” John nodded in response and Dave grinned before putting them on. “Ok sign me the fuck up right now. I am never taking these off.”

He felt a lot more comfortable once his surroundings weren’t blindingly bright and he could feel the familiar sensation of plastic resting against his cheek bones, when he had sunglasses on it almost felt like he was wearing a shield. As he began to feel more relaxed in his current environment, he decided that maybe he could learn to like this place after all if the other mutants were anywhere near as welcoming as John had been.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so new to writing these characters, I keep second guessing everything. Hopefully, I'll feel more comfortable with writing them in time.
> 
> The next chapter is Karkat's first chapter!


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